Lock



A. HOFFMANN LOCK Filed March 7, 1927 Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,699,190 PATENT OFFICE..

LOCK.`

Application led March 7, 1927, Serial No. 173,512, and in Austria January lhis invention relates to improvements in agreable locks provided with a bolting heck and indicating device for use in cono. with cars, luggage-vans, warehouses, rooms, sheds andthe like, particularly ie kind in' which the bolting hook subje `ted to the action of an operating lever, which is secured to the keyhole-pin of the lock and operates the locking bolt, and whereby one or more tumblers are mounted on the said keyhole-pin and are rotated by means of a key introduced into the lock. i

lu arrangements of this kind, it has been propised already to cut through or sever a chcclncard, which is removably located in the lock, by operating the tumblers of the lock, whereby also a trap-door is openedthrough which the cut up card may drop out, in order to Yindicate, that the lock has been unlocked. However, this construction possesses `the drawback, that the cut up card is folded up within the lock or that lthe paper or material of which the card consists is rolled up at the cutting edges, so that the pieces of the` card cannot drop out of the lock and the operation of the tumblers and thus also the operation of the lock is interfered with. Y

According to the present invention these drawbacks are removed by providing a rotatable indicating deviceor a counting device 1nstead of the check-card, the said device being `fed forward for a pre-determined distance or for one number by means of rotating the tumbler in lthe unlocking direction with the aid of the key, in order to indicate whether and how many times the lock has been unlocked,

Two modes of carrying out the present 1n vention are illustrated by way ofexainple on the accompanying sheet of drawings,` in

Figure l is a top plan view of the lock.

Figure 2 is a front view ofthe lock.

Figure 3 illustrates in sectional elevation a construction of the feed-mechanism, the" sec tion being taken through the shaft of Figure et, and in front of the fcedgears.

4 Figure a shows in sectional plan view the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, the section being taken through thc casing.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate in front view and sectional plan view respectively a modified construction of the feed-mechanism, the section of figure 6 heilig taken through the cas ing.

lligure shows a key end adapted for operating the lock,

The bolting hook l ofthe lock is rotatable about a pin 3 mounted in the casing 2 and, in` the locking position shown in Figure 2, the extension et of the hook rests against an eX- tended portion of the casingf, whereby the downward rotation of the said hook is limited. The casing provided with a. keyhole` recess S, (Figui-e 5) which is shaped in any` desired manner to lit the key-bit 5, while the tumbler 9, which is fixed to the keyhole-pin t3, is furnished with a stop Q'for cooperation with the other bit 5l" of the key. The two tumblers are secured in the desired position by a yieldable retainer 26, which is subject-ed action of a spring 10 and furnishedA to the with a roller l1, in this position the latter engaging suitably shapedcut outs in the tum-` blers 8 and 9. A pin carrying lever 12,` se@ Y cured to the inner, end of the pin 6,uoperates the locking or hook bar ^l, through the rne-` dium of the bifurcated lever 12"` which is se-` cured to the hook pin 3, at oneend and at its bifurcated end engages and is operated by the` i The parts above described` and the operationof the sameare already` pin of lever 12.

known and do not form the essential feature of the present invention.

I shall now describe the construction and,`

operationaof the parts forming the subject matter of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 3` and 4, a ratchet wheel 13 iskeyed to the keyhole pin 6 and cooperates with a pawl 15, secured to a toothed wheel 14. y On rotating the keyhole-pin 6 in the-direction of the arrow, which is eiiected by the cooperation of thekey-bit 5b with the stop 9 of thetumbler 9 securedto the pin 6, the toothed wheel 14: is fed 'forward a. certain distance in the direction of the arrow by means of the pawl 15. Thereby a pinion 16, which is mounted for free rotation on a suitable stub shaft journaled in the partition 7, is rotated and the saine revolves a toothed dial-plate 17, which is secured to a shaft 25, journaled for free rotation in the partition 7. The ratio of the gear combina` tion 14:, 16 and 17, is such, that at each rotation of the pin 6 in the unlocking direction the toothed dial-plate 17 is fed forward the distance corresponding to one number of the.

dial-plate, so that it is possible through an opening 25 in the casing, to determine whether and how many times the lock has been unlocked and the locking hook 1 has been disengaged'.Y On rotating the pin 6 in the opposite direction, i. e., anti-clockwise, the key-bit 5b cooperates with the contacting `face 9 of the tumbler 9and thereby `the ratchet wheel 13 is also rotated in the same direction, i. e., anti-clockwise. However, the. pawl 15 slides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel, so that the toothed wheel 14e and therefore also the toothed dial-plate 17 are not rotated backwards. In order to prevent an automatic rotation of the toothed dial-plate 1 7, the .same is provided with a brake-disc 1S, which is subject-ed to the action of a brake-spring 19, secured to the partition 7.

In the construction shown in Figures o and 6, the tumbler 8, which is mounted on the pin 6 to freely rotate, is provided with a slitted extension, in which is secured a plate-spring 2O in any convenient manner. The arm 8a of the slitted extension nearly extends to the free end of the plate spring, while the other arm 8b of the said extension is comparatively short, in order to permit a bulging of the plate-spring in the direction away from the long arm Sa. On rotating the freely rotatable tumbler 8 by means of the key-bit 5 and as soon as the tumbler 9 'is rot-ated clockwise by the cooperation of the keybit 5" with the stop 9', the end of the plate-spring 2() cooperates with one sprocket of a number of sprockets 22, arranged on a dial-plate 21, and feeds for ward the latter a distance, which corresponds to the distance between two numbers `of the dial-plate. 'Ihe latter is mounted for free rotation as heretofore described. On rotating back the. tumbler 8 into its original position, the plate-spring 20 evades the sprocket 2Q in its path by bulging out, because the dial-plate 21 is prevented from rotating backward by a ratchet-wheel 23, which i's secured to the dialplate 21 and which is engaged by a pawl 24, mounted on the partition 7. In its position oi' rest the dial-plate 21 is prevented from rotating by a brake-disc 18 and a brake-spring 19, cooperating with the same.

The adjusted number is visible in a window 25 (Figure 2) provided in the casing 2 of the lock.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particular-ity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the forni of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing from tue spirit ot the invention or the scope ofthe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim new and desire to ser-ure by United States Letters Patent i 1. An indicating lock for use in connection with luggage-van doors and the like compris ing in conibination, a` casiilg, abolting hook hinged thereto, a keyhole-pin rotatably mounted in. the casing, a ratchet wheel keyed to the said keyhole-pin, a toothed wheel freely rota-table on the said pin, a pawl secured to the said toothed wheel and engaging the said ratchet wheel, and a toothed indicating dial plate mounted in the said casing and meshing with the said toothed wheel for showing the number ot times the van door has been opened in transit.

2. An indicating lock as claimed in claim 1, comprisingl a braking device cooperating with the toothed dial-plate for the purpose specified.

3. An indicating lock for use in connection with luggage-vans, and the like comprising in combination a casing, a bolting hook hinged thereto, a keyhole-pin rotatably mounted in the casing, a tumbler mounted freely rotatable on the said pin, a` dial-plate mounted in the said casing, sprockets and an arm on the tumbler for engaging said sprockets on the dial-plate for causing rotation of the latter to indicate an unlocking movement of the bolt hook during transit.

4. An indicating lock for use in connection with luggage-vans, and the like comprising in combination a casing, a bolting hook hingi-xd thereto, a keyhole-pin rotatably mounted in the casing, a tumbler mounted freely rotatable on the said pin, a platespring secured to the said tumbler, a dial-plate n'iounted in the said casing, sprockets arranged on the dial-plate, adapted to be engaged by the plate spring for revolving said dial-plate whereby indication is given that the bolting hook has been opened in transit.

In testimony whereof I. aiix my signature.

ALFRED HOFFli/IANN. [n s ll 

